Sarah Siddons : The First Celebrity Actress

Sarah Siddons grew up as a member of a family troupe of travelling actors,�always poor and often hungry, resorting to foraging for turnips to eat. But�before she was 30 she had become a superstar, her fees greater than any actor -�male or female - had previously achieved. Her rise was not easy. Her London debut, aged just 20, was a disaster and could�have condemned her to poverty and anonymity. But the young actress - already�a mother of two - rebuilt her career, returning triumphantly to the capital after�years of remorseless provincial touring. She became Britain's greatest tragic actress, electrifying audiences with her�performances. Her shows were sell-outs.�Adored by theatre audiences, writers, artists and the royal family alike, Sarah�grasped the importance of her image. She made sure that every leading portrait�painter captured her likeness, so that engravings could be sold to her adoring�public. In an eighteenth-century world of vicious satire and gossip, she also battled to�manage her reputation. Married young, she took constant pains to portray�herself as a respectable and happily married woman, even though her marriage�did not live up to this ideal. Sarah's story is not just about rags to riches; this remarkable woman also�redefined the world of theatre and became the first celebrity actress.